Method for bonding fibers together

Claim 1

A METHOD OF FORMING BATTING, COMPRISING APPLYING FIBROUS MATERIAL, AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF WHICH CONSISTS OF COTTON FIBERS, AS A THIN LAYER ON AN ADVANCING FLEXIBLE, PERFORATED CARRIER BELT, WITH SAID FIBERS ORIENTED PREDOMINANTLY LENGTHWISE OF SAID BELT, MIXING A DRY, POWDERED, THERMOPLASTIC VINYL RESIN WITH AIR AND DIRECTING A STREAM OF THE RESULTING MIXTURE INTO SAID LAYER, FROM BOTH SIDES OF SAID LAYER, THROUGH THE EXPOSED FACES THEREOF, AT A STATION WHERE SAID LAYER IS SUPPORTED AND ADVANCED BY SAID PERFORATED CARRIER BELT, SO AS TO DISTRIBUTE SAID RESIN THROUGHOUT SAID LAYER, SAID RESIN BEING NON-TACKY AT ROOM TEMPERATURE BUT HAVING A SOFTENING TEMPERATURE BELOW THE CHARRING TEMPERATURE OF COTTON, REMOVING SAID LAYER FROM SAID CARRUER BELT AND CROSS-LAPPING IT WITH SAID RESIN THEREIN ONTO ANOTHER ADVANCING CARRIER BELT TO FORM A FLUFFY, COMPOSITE BATTING, LOOSELY COMPACTING SAID BATTING WITH THE AID OF ROLLERS TO REDUCE ITS THICKNESS SOMEWHAT WHILE SAID RESIN IS IN A NON-TACKY CONDITION, CUTTING SAID LAYER INTO STRIPS AND APPLYING A POWDERED THERMOPLASTIC RESIN TO BOTH SIDES AND THE EDGES OF SAID STRIPS, THEREAFTER ADVANCING SAID STRIPS BETWEEN CONVERGING PERFORATED BELTS TO REDUCE THEIR THICKNESS GRADUALLY AND PROGRESSIVELY AS THEY ADVANCE THROUGH A COMPACTING AND HEATING ZONE WHILE PROGRESSIVELY HEATING THEM BY BLOWING A HOT GAS INTO BOTH FACES AND THE EDGES AT SUCCESSIVE STATIONS, WHEREBY TO HEAT SAID BATTING TO A TEMPERTURE HIGH ENOUGH TO RENDER SAID RESIN SOFT AND TACKY BUT NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO CHAR SAID COTTON FIBERS, AND WHEREBY TO CAUSE SAID RESIN TO BOND SAID FIBERS TOGETHER AT MANY OF THEIR CROSSING POINTS, AND THEREAFTER ADVANCING SAID STRIPS BETWEEN APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL PERFORATED BELTS TO COOL AND SET SAID RESIN THEREIN, WHILE MAINTAINING SAID STRIPS IN A COMPRESSED CONDITION.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF FORMING BATTING, COMPRISING APPLYING FIBROUS MATERIAL, AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF WHICH CONSISTS OF COTTON FIBERS, AS A THIN LAYER ON AN ADVANCING FLEXIBLE, PERFORATED CARRIER BELT, WITH SAID FIBERS ORIENTED PREDOMINANTLY LENGTHWISE OF SAID BELT, MIXING A DRY, POWDERED, THERMOPLASTIC VINYL RESIN WITH AIR AND DIRECTING A STREAM OF THE RESULTING MIXTURE INTO SAID LAYER, FROM BOTH SIDES OF SAID LAYER, THROUGH THE EXPOSED FACES THEREOF, AT A STATION WHERE SAID LAYER IS SUPPORTED AND ADVANCED BY SAID PERFORATED CARRIER BELT, SO AS TO DISTRIBUTE SAID RESIN THROUGHOUT SAID LAYER, SAID RESIN BEING NON-TACKY AT ROOM TEMPERATURE BUT HAVING A SOFTENING TEMPERATURE BELOW THE CHARRING TEMPERATURE OF COTTON, REMOVING SAID LAYER FROM SAID CARRUER BELT AND CROSS-LAPPING IT WITH SAID RESIN THEREIN ONTO ANOTHER ADVANCING CARRIER BELT TO FORM A FLUFFY, COMPOSITE BATTING, LOOSELY COMPACTING SAID BATTING WITH THE AID OF ROLLERS TO REDUCE ITS THICKNESS SOMEWHAT WHILE SAID RESIN IS IN A NON-TACKY CONDITION, CUTTING SAID LAYER INTO STRIPS AND APPLYING A POWDERED THERMOPLASTIC RESIN TO BOTH SIDES AND THE EDGES OF SAID STRIPS, THEREAFTER ADVANCING SAID STRIPS BETWEEN CONVERGING PERFORATED BELTS TO REDUCE THEIR THICKNESS GRADUALLY AND PROGRESSIVELY AS THEY ADVANCE THROUGH A COMPACTING AND HEATING ZONE WHILE PROGRESSIVELY HEATING THEM BY BLOWING A HOT GAS INTO BOTH FACES AND THE EDGES AT SUCCESSIVE STATIONS, WHEREBY TO HEAT SAID BATTING TO A TEMPERTURE HIGH ENOUGH TO RENDER SAID RESIN SOFT AND TACKY BUT NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO CHAR SAID COTTON FIBERS, AND WHEREBY TO CAUSE SAID RESIN TO BOND SAID FIBERS TOGETHER AT MANY OF THEIR CROSSING POINTS, AND THEREAFTER ADVANCING SAID STRIPS BETWEEN APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL PERFORATED BELTS TO COOL AND SET SAID RESIN THEREIN, WHILE MAINTAINING SAID STRIPS IN A COMPRESSED CONDITION.